The invention relates to a decorative yard sign that dispenses bags for disposal of domestic pet waste. More particularly, the invention relates to a dispenser of bags for animal waste that encourages responsibility on the part of pet owners through the use of humor and by facilitating the collection and later disposal of domestic animal waste.
With the increasing population density in our urban areas, there tends to be less open space areas for pets, in particular dogs, to roam for both exercise and tending to other natural functions. At the same time, pet ownership has also increased. Pet owners must provide opportunities to their pets for exercise and relieving themselves as a part of daily routine pet care. Moreover, many municipalities have enacted laws governing pet ownership and the use of public spaces. For example, many areas have leash laws requiring dogs to be restrained by leashes whenever they are on public property. Such ordinances serve a two-fold purpose. First, the public at large is in less danger of being harmed by the animals; and second, the owner is better able to control the animal to keep it from mischief.
Another area of increasing concern brought about by space limitations in our urban areas involves the issue of environmental cleanliness. Pet owners are typically expected to clean up after their pets when they are away from their own property. In fact, many municipalities and neighborhoods have enacted ordinances and rules requiring pet owners to remove pet waste in public and common areas. With or without such ordinances, this is an area of concern for responsible pet owners. Accomplishing this task can be a rather tedious and non-hygienic affair. Typically the pet owner is required to carry a receptacle, usually a sealable plastic bag, along with something in the nature of a scoop or tool for picking up the pet waste. Unfortunately, even a responsible pet owner will often forget to bring the pet waste disposal equipment on a walk from time to time. Thus, pet owners are discouraged from complying with their legal and moral obligations to their neighbors.
Various inventions have been made to provide the pet owner with devices for gathering pet waste material. Representative of these are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,537 to Kiemer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,296 to Gross and U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,111 to Crooks. Each of these patents discloses a device that provides means for collecting pet droppings. The drawback to this approach to the problem of pet waste cleanup is simply that it requires too much in the way of equipment, which must be carried when walking a pet. In addition, the pet must still be controlled while the pet owner operates the device and/or bends over to accomplish the cleanup operation. Therefore, for many pet owners, the task is ignored because it is just not easy and convenient enough.
Chalmers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,377), Ring (U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,762), and Hayes (U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,697) recognized these problems and attempted to address them. Chalmers discloses a portable bag dispensing device containing a roll of bags. The pet owner pulls a bag from the roll, slip his hand inside, pick up the waste material, and then pulls the bag off the hand turning it inside out and leaving the contents inside. Similarly, in Hayes, the pet owner carries a plastic glove dispenser containing disposable gloves used in essentially the same manner as the bags in Chalmers. In Ring, the pet owner carries a receptacle with a plastic liner covering the inside of the receptacle and also extending over the hand of the user. In use, the waste material is scooped into the lined container followed by pulling the liner off the hand and out of the receptacle retaining the waste material inside. These inventions, although simpler and somewhat easier to use than the more cumbersome devices aforementioned, still require the pet owner to carry equipment and bend over while still controlling the pet.
A need has remained for a simple and easy solution that allows the pet owner to leave home unencumbered yet provides the opportunity for the owner to clean up after his pet as the need arises. The ideal solution would also encourage compliance.
The present invention provides a yard sign that dispenses bags for use in collecting domestic animal or pet waste for later disposal. The waste bags are provided as an inducement for pet owners to clean up after their pets. A supply of bags is maintained on the back of the sign and singularly dispensed through a slot as needed.
The yard sign includes a decorative display panel having the contour of an animal such as a dog or of some familiar object. The sign is firmly attached to the ground, such as by staking. The front of the panel is painted or otherwise decorated to draw attention to the availability of the bags. When an animal is depicted, the dispensing slot is preferably positioned at the location of the animal""s mouth so that the leader bag, or first bag on the roll, resembles the animal""s tongue.
Waste bags are stored on the back of the sign preferably on a continuous perforated roll. In one embodiment of the invention, bags are stored and dispensed from a hanger assembly including a mounting bracket and a U-shaped rod with one arm of the rod serving as a holder for a roll of bags. In another embodiment, the roll of bags is held on the back of the sign by a strap running through the center of the roll and attached to the back by snap fasteners. In both cases, the end of the roll is fed through the slot in the panel ready to be pulled through and torn off when needed.
In use, the sign is placed in a yard in an area convenient to pet owners walking their pets to facilitate the pet owner""s ability to dispose of pet waste. The invention presents an apparatus which encourages responsibility on the part of pet owners when in public or otherwise away from their own homes.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus in the form of a yard sign which facilitates the pet owner""s ability to collect pet waste for later disposal thus encouraging responsibility on the part of pet owners when in public or otherwise away from their own homes. This and other objects, advantages and features are accomplished according to the devices, assemblies and methods of the present invention.